Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Kamishibai Landscapes: Uncovering the Relationship Between Traditional Storytelling and Manga/Anime New Literacies

• In Event: Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Multimodal Literacies, Performance Theory, and Digital Technologes

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of kamishibai, Japanese traditional visual storytelling, and an exploration of the relationship between the storytelling and manga and anime popular literacies. Using the frameworks of New Literacy Studies and multimodality, I analyzed the data drawn from kamishibai story panels, historical documents regarding kamishibai, such as photographs, newspapers, manga books, and anime DVDs. The findings show semiotic relationships between kamishibai and popular media, and also indicate the evidence that manga and anime are historically situated and culturally constructed literacy practices embedded in the Japanese context. Findings add to a better understanding of magna and anime as cultural products, and as a point of departure for exploring Japanese cultural perspectives and developing intercultural understanding.

Author

• Junko Sakoi, The University of Arizona